A Previous Engagement
by Jimmy the Gothic Egg
Summary: Starfire's been gone for six months. When she returns, she carries a secret, but how long can she keep it safe?
1. The Sixth Month

There was much dispute over this (in my head) over whether this story should be an Inuyasha story or Teen Titans story. 'Cause I wanted to use the plot for both, but I thought that would be idiotic. After consulting my friend (penname: Soularia Reed. Go read her stuff. It's awesome), I decided it would make much more sense with Teen Titans. Still, you never know when I decide to use this for another Inuyasha story.

Ages have been altered a bit for the story to work. There is no real mention as to how old the Titans are, but the original Titans started when they were all 18 (except for Beast Boy who was 16.)

Usual pairings to be enforced.

_A Previous Engagement_

**Chapter 1: The Sixth Month**

_It had been six months…_

Six months…

…Twenty-four weeks…

…186 days…

…4032 hours…

…Too many minutes…

Robin sighed.

It had been six months ago that Starfire had received word from her home planet. Six months ago she had sadly told them she had to go alone to Tamaran and fight. It seemed war would never stop on her peaceful planet, and she had to do something. She refused their aid, saying that their place was here where they could stop crime and save the day. Her place was in Tamaran, where all she could do was fight to keep her planet free.

And the Titans were supposed to sit here and wait, hoping she would return.

They had continued on with their lives as if nothing were wrong. Even if they tried to act as normal as possible, a heavy cloud hung over them, and each passing day was harder.

They had gotten two letters from her so far. The first had been in the second month, stating she would be home soon. The second had come in the fourth month, once again stating she would be home soon, despite the delay last time.

They were expecting a third one any day now.

It was a quiet day in the Titan's Tower. They were in normal clothes, prepared to dash in and out of costume in case trouble showed up. Raven was stretched out on the couch in black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, reading a book while lazily petting a green cat on the head, possibly unaware of the action. Of course the green cat was Beast Boy, equally unaware of the empath patting him softly on the head. Cyborg was messing with the Titan's security system, or at least that seemed to be what he was doing. No one could really tell thanks to its complexity.

And Robin…

Robin was counting off minutes in his head. It wasn't like they could do anything except hop in the T-ship and fly up there, but something told him that would be a bad idea.

Tense silence fell over the Tower. All that was heard was the clacking of keys as Cyborg worked away, the gently rustle of pages as Raven read on, and a soft purr from Beast Boy every now and then.

Another minute passed slowly and painfully.

Raven slammed her book shut and stood. "Okay," she said, shattering the silence, "You guys are way too quiet. Even _I_ can't stand it."

They glanced at her lazily and returned to what they were doing. Beast Boy rolled over and returned to his normal form, taking up her space.

She placed a finger to her temple. "What happened to your loud obnoxious chatter? I mean, you have tons of perfectly good video games right here and you sit around and sulk!"

Still nothing. She glared at them before stalking up to the cabinet where they piled their games. She yanked it open, picked a random game, and flung it at the changeling.

"_Ow!_" he shouted when it hit him. "The hell was that for?"

"I'll play you," she said, "I don't care what the hell it is but this silence is killing me and this is the only way I can think of to get you to talk!"

And suddenly, Raven froze. Her eyes clouded over and it barely looked like she was breathing.

"Raven?" Beast Boy waved his hand in the air. For a moment he considered throwing the game box back at her, but he decided it might be better for his health if he _didn't_ piss her off anymore.

She snapped back with a groan, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Raven? What the hell just-"

"Guys!" Cyborg said quickly, "Check this out. Someone just entered the Tower."

They blinked.

Robin sat up. "Who else but us has codes to ent-"

He never got to finish his sentence as he was swept up by a red blur. Confusion set through until the blur stopped, revealing Robin being crushed under a hug by none other than Starfire.

"My friends!" she sang, "Oh how I have missed you! I have been so worried about you!"

Raven smiled. "Thank God you're here, Starfire. These idiots were driving me crazy."

"Starfire," Robin attempted to say, "As happy… as I am to see you… Do you think you… could let go of …me?"

The alien gave a frightened gasp and dropped him carefully. "I am so sorry! I just missed you so much!"

And for the first time in six months, the Titans were happy.

But, unfortunately for them, their happiness would not last long.

**Author(ess) Notes:**

I think I made Raven kinda bratty. Too bad. Yes, this is set after _The End_. Raven has emotions.

Took me forever to write this short first chapter. I feel bad about that. Anyway….

**Next Chapter:** Everyone has a secret. Whose will be revealed first?


	2. Secrets

_A Previous Engagement_

**Chapter 2: Secrets  
**

It had been a long day.

Raven smiled as she pulled on the oversized black shirt she slept in. They'd started a celebration when Starfire returned. They'd even allowed the alien to cook up a jelly-like blob with small purple things sticking out of it. They'd eaten it (forcefully) then gone out for pizza.

And now they were tired.

Raven picked up the book resting on her nightstand. It was a thick hand-written volume that she'd read many times over, but each time it thrilled her even more.

There was a soft hiss as the door opened. Her smile deepened, and she thought back to six months ago.

_It had been two days… Two days since Starfire left them._

_And Raven was depressed._

_Raven had been depressed many times in her life. But she'd never felt it like this. Since she'd beaten her father, since she'd gained control of her emotions, feelings had come in much sharper, sometimes so much that she pretended to be back where she couldn't feel, where it didn't hurt so much._

_Then again, since she'd won the battle, it was mostly happy emotions coming in._

_But depression was something else. It was sharper and harder and colder._

_The empath had realized something with Starfire gone:_

_Days were much harder, much longer without the naïve alien. There was no mistake to correct, no new thirty-thousand verse song to listen to, no new creation to avoid._

_And this depressed her._

_Raven was curled up in one of the rooms they had because they needed to fill their tower with something. _Her_ room was too depressing, and any other room was too public, so she hid in a room that no one would look in._

_And as her luck would have it, someone was looking in it._

_There was a soft hiss as the door opened._

_Raven leaned back, too lazy to turn herself, to see who it was._

"_Hey," she said to the green elf across the room. The sound resonated across the room, empty and hollow._

"_Hey," he answered, sitting down next to her, "How you holding up?"_

"_Not well," she hugged her knees, "But I'm still here, so it can't be that bad."_

"_Same here."_

_They sat in silence for a minute. Seconds ticked by before Raven lifted her head and stared at Beast Boy. He was staring back at her._

"_What?" she asked, self-consciously putting a hand to her face._

"_Nothing. I was just thinking."_

"_That's new."_

_He narrowed his eyes but smiled. "Yeah, well you could try being anything besides depressing."_

"_I could, but that would go against the laws of nature."_

_He chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time we bended reality."_

_She smiled. "So what are you doing up here?"_

"_Bored. Decided I'd find you and annoy you."_

"_I feel loved, you know that?"_

_He watched her shiver. "You cold?"_

"_Cyborg won't turn on the damn heater. Or maybe I'm just paranoid."_

"_Probably the last one."_

_She shivered again. Sighing, he placed his arm around her, ignoring her glare._

"_What are you doing?"_

"_You're cold. I'm doing something nice."_

"_No you're not." Despite herself, she rested her head on his shoulder. When did she get so sleepy? And why was he so warm?_

"_You know," he said slyly, "You can't use your emotions as an excuse anymore."_

"_What's your point?" she murmured._

_He lifted her head with his finger and leaned in. She blinked at the closeness._

"_What are you doing?"_

_He kissed her. Softly and tenderly, brushing his lips against hers._

_And she kissed him back._

For six months they'd been together. For six months no one had known.

It was their little secret.

Raven set down the book as Beast Boy plopped down next to her. When she turned to face him, she was caught in a kiss. Not that she protested.

"Happy?" she said as they pulled away.

"If she'd been any longer I think the team might've broken up," he answered, wrapping his arms around her.

"Nah, Robin wouldn't have allowed it. We'd all be sitting around hating each other, forced together 'for the good of the people.'"

"So what do you want to do tonight?" He nuzzled her neck.

"Read. And sleep."

"You're no fun."

She kissed him again. "We're both tired. Sleep."

They curled up together…

…And slept…

* * *

_Fire burning…_

_Fire everywhere…_

_The world's coming to an end…_

_Hatred shall rule…_

Raven gasped as her eyes shot open. She was out of breath and sweating. She ripped the blankets off and stood quickly, catching her breath.

'_A dream…' _she told herself, _'That's all it was. A dream.'_

If only she could believe that.

"Herbal tea," she breathed, "It will calm me down."

* * *

Someone was already in the kitchen when Raven entered. 

"Starfire?" the empath said, "What are you doing up?"

"Oh," the alien looked up, flustered, "Hello, Raven. I was unable to sleep, so I decided to make the traditional Tamaranian sleep serum. Why are you awake?"

"Uh…" No real reason to have her friends worry. "Same. Guess it's the excitement with you back and all."

"I am very happy to be back." She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah… Starfire, is anything… wrong? You seem a little bit… off."

It was true. The alien had seemed almost too enthusiastic, even for her.

"Nothing is wrong. Everything is wonderful!"

Raven raised an eyebrow.

The alien hung her head. "I am sorry, Raven. Everything is not wonderful. I cannot stay on Earth for too long. I must return to Tamaran. I have an obligation."

"Why? I thought you were done with Tamaran. At least with all the fighting."

"It is not the war that I am worried about. I do not quite know how to say this but… I am promised to be married."

**Author(ess) Notes:**

Yep, I'm gonna leave you there. Didn't take me quite as long to write this as the first chapter, and this is longer.

I love non-flame-y Hot Spot. He ish cute. And a Madame Rouge possibly means a Gemini. I hope there's a Gemini.


	3. Postcards From Tamaran

K, so I had a bit of dilemma with this story. I could've done the one with Karras or Ph'yzzon. I chose Ph'yzzon because Karras was a political marriage for the civil war in Tamaran. This was too much like Betrothed for me. So I went with Ph'yzzon.

"English." _"Tamaranian because I don't know any Tamaranian words beside X'Hal"_

_A Previous Engagement_

**Chapter 3: Postcards from Tamaran**

"_Married_?"

Raven's eyes went wide for a moment. She hung her head, pressing a finger to her temple.

"Didn't we go through this once before?" she muttered.

"Yes," Starfire said indignantly, "But this time it was different."

"How exactly is it different?"

"I am in love with Ph'yzzon."

This was news to Raven. She gave Starfire a long look before picking up her mug of tea.

"Are you really going back to Tamaran?" she asked.

Starfire nodded and floated next to her. "I'm afraid so. It's just that… since I've returned, I've been having… strange thoughts."

Strange or second, Raven had to wonder, but she let the alien continue.

"They seem to be about friend Robin," Star finished uncertainly.

Raven gave her a knowing smile. "Somehow I knew you'd say that."

The alien blushed. "I-I just think I might stay a while longer, perhaps until I am forced back…"

"Sounds like you don't want to go back," the empath smiled, "Just as well. You know how heartbroken we'd be if we lost you. I'm gonna go back to bed. Maybe you should do the same."

Starfire nodded wearily. "Good night, friend Raven."

"Night, Star."

* * *

Raven returned to her room, the tea still in her hand. Beast Boy groaned into his pillow as she settled into the bed. He looked up at her wearily, his eyes barely open.

"What time is it?" he asked as she scooted close to him.

"Early. Or late. I'm not really sure. Time to sleep."

He nodded and curled around her, falling back asleep quickly. She smiled and moved closer, falling into a fitful sleep.

Things were much happier in the morning. The excitement of Starfire's return had yet to diminish, and they were ready to avoid as many crimes as possible to have as much time with Starfire as they could, though she seemed anxious for some activity. She'd been fighting nonstop for the past six months, and a day too relax, though appreciated, felt odd.

There was much relief when the alarm signaling trouble went off, causing the five teens in the midst of their activities to drop them and run to the main room to see what the trouble was.

And thus the day began with a small bit of normalcy.

* * *

It was several weeks after her return that Starfire got the message.

Starfire was lying on the couch in the main room, watching the sun rise above the water, a smile on her face. She often got up early in the morning to watch this spectacle; she enjoyed the peace it brought to her.

This peace was interrupted as the Titan's main screen began to flash: _INCOMING MESSAGE_.

Starfire looked around uncertainly. Before she could do anything, a face appeared on the screen, and she gasped in a mix of surprise, horror, and joy.

Ph'yzzon had appeared on the screen.

"_Koriand'r!"_ he cried, _"I am so happy to see you!"_

"_Ph'yzzon!"_ she answered nervously, glancing around, _"I… Why is it that you have called?"_

The alien gave her a confused look. _"I have not heard from you in so long! I had expected it would only take so long to see your friends. What is taking you so long?"_

Starfire opened her mouth to answer when the doors slid open. A tired looking group of Titans entered, wondering why they had been woken so early. She quickly turned back to Ph'yzzon.

"_I apologize. My friends are here now, though… We-"_

Beast Boy was the first to speak up. "Dude, who's that?"

Raven noticed the man was clearly Tamaranian and passed Starfire a knowing look.

"This is…" Starfire did not know what to do. Ph'yzzon did not understand English, nor did her friends understand her native tongue, but she couldn't lie to her friends. But… She imagined the look on Robin's face if he found out she was engaged to Ph'yzzon. Then she wondered if he would care or not.

"_These are your great warrior friends?"_ Ph'yzzon laughed on the screen. He had never seen such a scrawny pair of teens.

The Titans were not thinking about that, mostly because they didn't understand a word he was saying. They recognized the language he was speaking (it sounded familiar to the one Starfire had first spoken when she came on Earth.) They also recognized that he was laughing. They weren't quite sure why.

"Er, Star?" Robin asked, "What's he saying?"

Starfire shot a glare at Ph'yzzon, obviously not happy with his interpretation of her friends. _"They are great warriors, certainly. You should know better than to judge one by their appearance."_

It was true. Ph'yzzon had seen Starfire in battle many a time. With her petite body she could rip apart steel, and with her starbolts she could take out entire armies. He quieted, frowning.

"_I came to bring you good news,"_ he said, _"The fighting has ceased in Tamaran, at least for the time being. It is the perfect time to return to Tamaran, so we may complete our engagement."_

"_Oh…"_ Starfire glanced at her friends apprehensively. They were still looking at her, expecting an explanation. She was giving none. _"My friends though…"_

"_Invite them with you,"_ Ph'yzzon was smiling again, happy at the thought of having what Starfire considered her family at their wedding, _"We would not mind. There is still much to do, and your friends could help. Besides, if they are truly great warriors, they may help us in our battle."_

"_But…"_ She was now worried, tugging on her hair nervously, _"My friends cannot abandon their home. They keep this city safe. Without them, there would be chaos!"_

So maybe she was overreacting. They'd gone on long trips, and it wasn't like they'd never been to Tamaran. With Titans East, they could most certainly escape for a week or two, maybe months.

"Starfire," Cyborg interject, "Mind telling us what's going on?"

She stared at her friends as if she'd just noticed they were there. "I-I must return to Tamaran for something. It is very important that I go."

"But…" Robin was clearly not happy with this news. "But you just got back."

"_What are they saying?"_ Ph'yzzon was curious now, leaning into the screen to see her friends clearly.

"And who's that?" Beast Boy asked.

"…This is Ph'yzzon, a general in our army." She turned back to Ph'yzzon. _"They are asking about you. They are unsure."_

"_All the more reason to invite them," _Ph'yzzon said, _"I am most anxious to meet them."_

"Why do you have to go back?" Cyborg asked.

She stood between her lover and her friends, biting her lip as she wondered exactly what to say. Ph'yzzon, unfortunately, noticed this action. He frowned.

"_Do they know?"_ he asked. She was obviously anxious about something, and her friends seemed more confused than he'd expected.

She whipped around to him. _"I might've… I might not have mentioned it."_

"_Koriand'r,"_ he said in an almost scolding tone, _"What do you fear"_

"_I was most excited when I came here, but…"_ She glanced at Robin, _"But now I do not wish to leave my friends. And I certainly cannot ask you to come here."_

Raven was getting extremely annoyed. Between her friends' questions and the gibberish being spoken between the two Tamaranians, she was getting a headache. She knew a few things about Tamaran (and a few words in their language; came with learning from Azar; you learned things that you wouldn't normally need to know in any Earthen conversation), and she knew that Tamarans could not hide their emotions, and Starfire was looking very scared at the moment. Silently, she stepped forward, sitting a hand on her shoulder.

"Perhaps," she said quietly, so the boys could not hear. She did not worry about Ph'yzzon, since he didn't understand a word of English. "It would be best if you just told them, Starfire. It would save you a lot of trouble."

Starfire stared at her friend. She knew Raven had this strange ability to know exactly what was going on during every situation and a way to make it better, but that was the reasonable thing to do. Star was not ready to do the reasonable thing. She was ready to keep Ph'yzzon from every speaking with her friends in a coherent conversation.

"_Koriand'r,"_ Ph'yzzon said, sighing quietly, _"You should be truthful with your friends. I wish you would return. We do not have to wed yet; I just wish to see you… in person."_

She nodded. Her friends wouldn't let her leave again without them anyway. _"I shall see you soon, then. Goodbye, love."_

The screen went blank.

"Okay," Beast Boy spoke up, "What exactly is going on?"

Starfire sighed. Time to face her friends.

**Author(ess) Notes:**

So, yeah. Kind of a filler chapter. I'm trying to get them to Tamaran quickly. **Her Royal Hipness **(go to her profile. It's very cool) has pointed out to me that teenagers don't feel love. Well, Starfire's not necessarily a teenager, nor is she human. She's allowed to feel love because that's what Tamaranians do; they feel.

As for BeastBoy/Raven relationship, there will be parts where it's implied, but if you ignore those, you'll be happy. Starfire/Robin is going to be the big part of this.

I said Ph'yzzon a lot. I'm definitely going to shorten his name.

(Oh, and Raven gets her part in this story. But don't worry. I won't make her the stereotypical goth chick.)

P.S. I love Jericho. Awesomeness!


	4. The Journey Begins

I once again use Star's brother in a story. He's a bit different than he was in the comics, mostly because I don't really know how he was in the comics. So, I made him a bit more… Well, you'll find out.

"English" _"Tamaranian. You should have this by now."_

_A Previous Engagement_

**Chapter 4: The Journey Begins**

Three pairs of wide eyes stared at Starfire. She tugged her hair nervously.

"Didn't you go-"

"Weren't you-"

"Haven't we gone-"

"-Through this before?" they finished in unison.

She nodded and shook her head, making an odd sort of jerking motion. "I, erm, I- It is… different…"

Explaining this to Raven had been easy, because Raven was the calm one of the group. Unfortunately, she was staring at Robin. She could not see his eyes beneath his mask, and she desperately wished she could see his expression. His mouth was turned down in a frown, his brow furrowed. She sighed softly, confused and uncertain.

Somehow she knew telling them that this time she was in love would not help.

"…I-I wish for you to return to Tamaran with me…" she breathed, not really meaning it. What she wanted was to have more time to figure out exactly what she _did_ want. She knew her relationship with Robin had always been a close one, perhaps more than friends, and most certainly not brother-sister. What she had felt for Ph'yzzon, seeing him when he fought, the strength in his movements, the certainty with each blow…

It had been the same with Robin.

Robin looked at her. Beneath his mask his eyes were filled with sadness. He'd always been so protective of his alien friend since she'd revealed her docile and naive nature. (Of course he knew from experience that if you got in her way, there was a good chance you wouldn't make it out.) He'd had a crush on her for ages now, but he'd never admit it. He knew better than to date teammates. But now she was getting married…

(…Again, he had to note, and the first time hadn't ended well for the man- er…_thing-_ at the other end of the line…)

Star stared at him, trying to permeate his mask, his mind, to see inside his head.

"We'll have to go then," Robin said.

He was going to do the only thing he could do. He was going to be supportive.

They had all noticed the tone of his voice and took his lead.

"…Hey, yeah," Beast Boy said, "And at least this time you know who you're marrying."

"Sure, Star," Cyborg continued, "Is there any chance we can get a translator though."

Raven was staring at them as if they'd lost their minds. Her gaze was pointedly at Robin, but she cast looks onto the other too and turned back to Starfire, offering her a small smile.

"We're here for you, Starfire," Robin finished, "Whatever you need."

* * *

Robin glared at the punching bag, staring it down before beginning his fight. This was how he relieved stress and worked things out. A few rounds in the gym, and his resolve would strengthen, his plan would be perfect, or he might be able to concentrate on the task at hand.

He punched the bag hard, letting it swing back before kicking it right in the center, pushing it back further.

"So that's it then?"

He whirled around, and the punching bag hit him in the back. He glared at it, but it swung gently, docilely returning to its place.

Raven was in the doorway, looking ready for bed.

"What's it?" he asked, deciding to play stupid. Which was an idiotic thing to do. Raven knew of course. What he didn't know was that _everyone_ knew that he considered Starfire more than a friend.

"You're just going to lie down and let Starfire be taken?"

"Maybe," he muttered indignantly.

"Honestly?"

"…" He sighed. "Maybe not…"

"Whatever," she shrugged, turning around, "I'd just hate to see either of you ending up with something you don't want."

She left, and he turned back to the punching bag.

_I'm going to win her back,_ he decided, sending a hard punch into the poor, beaten bag, _I'm going to make her choose me._

The problem was, he wasn't even sure if he was a choice.

* * *

The T-Ship, which had originally been the T-Sub, then the T-Ship, only to be converted back again, had taken the team to Tamaran before. Of course, this was not after it had been destroyed after Brother Blood's underwater base had exploded. The new one had been built from scratch, but it was hardly ready to be attached to a few rockets and shot through space.

"So…" Cyborg stared at the hardly built ship, "…How exactly are we getting there?"

Starfire stood beside him. "My parents have promised to send a ship. It should be here in a day or so."

"Who exactly is… flying this ship?" he asked.

She shrugged. Her mood had been dampened since she'd confessed to her friends. She'd avoided in flying in fear she wouldn't be able to. Fury, she was feeling, but it was hardly righteous fury. More like guilty fury. Anger at herself.

"I suspect someone from the royal family. Or Galfore, but he is as close to family as one can get."

It only took them two days to find out.

The sleek ship landed on the top of the giant T, gliding perfectly through the sky. A young man stepped out, about Robin's height though with younger features. He stepped out of the street with open arms, which Starfire flew into.

"_Ryand'r!"_ she greeted him, _"You are well! I was worried! I had not seen you when I was in Tamaran!"_

"_My fault," _he answered with a grin, _"Mother and father had to dig me out of some offhand planet. If I had known, though…"_

"_What were you doing?"_ she asked.

"_Not important enough,"_ he glanced at her friends, who were standing behind them with confused looks, _"These are your friends?"_

She grinned and pulled him over to them. "Friends!" she cried, "This is my brother, Ryand'r!"

"_So,_" Ryand'r grinned slyly, _"Where's a lovely lady I'm allowed to kiss so I can understand anything you're going to say."_

She elbowed him. _"Is that what you were off doing?"_

"_I did learn a few new languages."_

She sighed and touched her lips to his for a moment and pulled away. He frowned.

"Why do you always ruin my fun?" he pouted.

She shoved him playfully. "Because otherwise you would be in trouble in all moments."

The Titans were staring on curiously. The last sibling of Starfire's that had met had been Blackfire, who had the intent of killing her sister. But Ryand'r seemed harmless. Of course, so had Blackfire.

The Titans were cautious as they approached.

But Ryand'r held out his arms graciously, and Starfire giggled.

"Shall we go then," he said.

They nodded uncertainly and followed him onto the ship as he began his 'tour.'

This, they may or may not have realized as they stepped aboard, would not be a journey they would soon forget.

**Authoress Notes:**

Took me a while to update this chapter.

I'm taking the tiniest break from fanfiction, but I'll still update what I can. I'm currently distracted by my original that I'm working on. I've got a few new stories in my brain, and I actually have two and a half chapters done for another Teen Titans one, but I was looking at what stories I have posted and decided I want to try and update a few of those first.

**Review and I might update faster.**


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